Ukraine war latest: Trump, Putin fail to reach deal to end war in Ukraine
Key developments on Aug. 15:
- Trump, Putin fail to reach deal to end war in Ukraine
- Ukraine strikes Russian port used for Iranian arms shipments, military says
- Ukrainian unit claims Pokrovsk cleared of Russian saboteurs
- 'Target hit' — Ukraine strikes oil refinery in Russia's Samara Oblast, command post in Donetsk Oblast, military says
- Explosion at Russian gunpowder plant leaves 5 dead, more than 100 injured
The summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded without an agreement to end the war in Ukraine, Trump said during a press conference alongside Putin at the end of their summit.
The meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, which lasted for close to three hours, fell short of the peace deal that Trump sought to make ahead of the meeting. The U.S. president was accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff during the "three-on-three" talks with the Russian delegation led by Putin.
"We had an extremely productive meeting and many points were agreed to. There are just a very few that are left — some are not that significant — one is probably the most significant," Trump said, without providing details on the talks.
"We didn't get there, but we have a very good chance of getting there," Trump added. "A couple of big ones that we haven't quite gotten there, but we've made some headway. So there's no deal until there's a deal."
Trump said that he would call President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was not invited to the discussions, after the talks concluded. Zelensky has rejected the possibility of recognizing the Russian occupation of Ukrainian territory and ceding additional land, calling for a ceasefire as the first step toward peace negotiations, a position supported by Kyiv's European allies
"I will call up NATO in a little while. I will call up the various people that I think are appropriate. And I’ll, of course, call up President Zelensky and tell him about today’s meeting. It's ultimately up to them," Trump said.
Putin, who began the press conference, reiterated his maximalist demands to end the war, referring to the Kremlin's perceived "root causes" of the war, which includes a ban on joining NATO and Kyiv's withdrawal from four of Ukraine's partially occupied regions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
"We are convinced that for a settlement in Ukraine to be stable and long-lasting, all root causes of the crisis — of which we have spoken many times — must be eliminated," he said.
Ukraine strikes Russian port used for Iranian arms shipments, military says
Ukraine's Special Operations Forces on Aug. 14 struck the Russian port of Olya in Astrakhan Oblast, a region in southern Russia at the Caspian Sea coast, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported.
The attack targeted what Kyiv says is a key logistics hub for Iranian-made military supplies bound for Russia.
Iran has been a key ally to Moscow and provided the country with ballistic missiles and thousands of Shahed kamikaze drones for its war against Ukraine. Russia has also launched production of its own Shahed equivalents called Gerans.
The Olya port is used by Moscow to receive Shahed-type drone components and munitions from Iran, according to the military. Preliminary reports indicate that the vessel Port Olya 4, loaded with such cargo, was hit in the attack. The extent of the damage is reportedly still being assessed.
The port lies roughly 800 kilometers (500 miles) from the front line in Ukraine.
The strike is part of Ukraine's broader campaign to degrade Russia's ability to launch air attacks and sustain its war effort, the General Staff said.
Russian authorities reported attacks elsewhere in the country the same day, including an alleged deadly drone strike in Kursk on Aug. 14. Acting Governor Alexander Khinshtein claimed a Ukrainian drone hit an apartment building on Soyuznaya Street, killing one person and injuring 12 others, including a 15-year-old.
The blast and fire allegedly damaged the top four floors of the building and shattered windows in neighboring houses and a school.
Ukraine has not commented on the attack. The Kyiv Independent cannot verify these claims.
Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 53 Ukrainian drones overnight across multiple regions, including 13 over Kursk Oblast, 11 over Rostov Oblast, seven over Samara Oblast, six over Belgorod Oblast, five over Oryol Oblast, four each over the Bryansk and Voronezh oblasts, one over Saratov Oblast, one over Kalmykia, and one over the Azov Sea.
In Samara Oblast, an oil refinery in Syzran caught fire after a reported drone strike early on Aug. 15. Syzran hosts one of Rosneft's largest facilities, which supplies fuel to Russian forces in central and southern Russia, according to pro-Ukrainian Telegram channel Crimean Wind.
Ukrainian unit claims Pokrovsk cleared of Russian saboteurs
Ukrainian troops have cleared Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast of Russian sabotage groups and individual saboteurs, the 7th Corps of Ukraine's Airborne Assault Forces reported on Aug. 15.
The corps claimed that Ukrainian units are operating inside the city, and civilians can move about, though travel within Pokrovsk remains heavily restricted. It is still possible to reach the city, the statement added.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claim.
According to the battlefield monitoring group DeepState, Pokrovsk remains under Ukrainian control, but Russian forces are positioned just 3 to 5 kilometers (2-3 miles) away.
The announcement comes three weeks after DeepState and Ukrainian soldiers on the ground said Russian troops had entered Pokrovsk, a front-line city about 70 kilometers (43 miles) northwest of occupied Donetsk.
Since March, the city has been one of the most fiercely contested sectors of the front line, with Moscow concentrating its main offensive efforts there.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi described Pokrovsk on Aug. 2 as one of the "most difficult" areas of the front, where Russian forces are using "total infiltration" tactics to breach defenses.
On Aug. 11, DeepState reported that Russian troops had advanced toward the Dobropillia–Kramatorsk highway, seizing positions in nearby settlements to support further offensives.
Dobropillia lies 94 kilometers (58 miles) northwest of Russian-occupied Donetsk, and about 22 kilometers (14 miles) north of the embattled city of Pokrovsk.
Ukraine's General Staff said on Aug. 12 that more than 110,000 Russian troops were concentrated in the Pokrovsk area, attempting to slip small infantry units between Ukrainian lines.
The military described the situation as "complex and dynamic," but said Ukrainian forces were taking "effective measures" to halt Russia's advance.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 15 that Russian forces are continuing to suffer heavy losses as they push for gains ahead of the Aug. 15 Alaska meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We understand this plan and are informing our partners about the real situation," Zelensky said.
'Target hit' — Ukraine strikes oil refinery in Russia's Samara Oblast, command post in Donetsk Oblast, military says
Ukrainian forces struck an oil refinery in Russia's Samara Oblast and other Russian targets in attacks overnight on Aug. 15, Ukraine's General Staff said.
The refinery is located in Syzran, the third largest city in Samara Oblast. Syzran lies about 800 kilometers (500 miles) from Ukraine's border with Russia.
Ukraine's General Staff said the facility is one of the largest in the Rosneft system, Russia's state-controlled oil giant and one of the world's largest publicly traded petroleum companies.
According to pro-Ukrainian Telegram channel Crimean Wind, the refinery provides fuel to military units in central and southern Russia. Earlier, local Russian media reported that the strike had sparked a fire at the plant.
"The target was hit, with fire and explosions recorded," the military said. The strike was carried out by Special Operations Forces in coordination with other branches.
The Syzran plant produces a wide range of fuels, including aviation fuel, and helps supply the Russian Armed Forces, the General Staff reported.
The command post of Russia's 132nd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade was also struck in Yenakiieve, on the Russian-occupied territory of Donetsk Oblast, according to the statement. The consequences of the attack are being determined.
Kyiv regularly strikes military and industrial infrastructure deep within Russia in an effort to diminish Moscow's fighting power as it continues to wage its war against Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces struck a refinery in the Russian city of Volgograd overnight on Aug. 14, causing powerful fires at the facility.
Explosion at Russian gunpowder plant leaves 5 dead, more than 100 injured
An explosion on Aug. 15 destroyed a workshop at the Elastik gunpowder plant in Ryazan Oblast in Russia, killing at least five people and injuring at least 100, regional governor Pavel Malkov said on Aug. 15.
The blast occurred during the day and was followed by a fire that completely destroyed the gunpowder-producing facility.
"An emergency response headquarters has been set up, and all departments and emergency services are working," Malkov wrote on Telegram.
Russian officials have not named the cause of the explosion, but preliminary accounts reported by Russian media point to possible safety violations in the workshop.
Local Telegram channels reported that 10 of the 20 injured victims are in serious condition, while some people may still be trapped under debris.
The plant suffered a similar accident in October 2021, when an explosion at a workshop operated by private explosives manufacturer Razryad killed 17 people.
According to the independent Russian Telegram channel Astra, Razryad rents space from Elastik and produces industrial explosives, including from recycled munitions.
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